...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah...
refused to step down
...
Hell no! The money's too good!...
and said on Thursday that sectarianism and corruption had destroyed the country, in his first address to the nation since the outbreak of nationwide anti-government demonstrations last week.
"I heard many calls for the change of government; government cannot be changed overnight. It must happen through constitutional reforms," said Aoun, who blamed corruption across all political parties and sectarianism for the "destroying" the country.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri
...Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too....said he welcomed Aoun's call for the need to review the current government through existing constitutional mechanisms in a tweet on Thursday.
Lebanese Druze leader Walid
WallyJumblat
...Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling...
said on Thursday in a tweet that the best solution out of mass protests triggered by an economic crisis is to speed up a government reshuffle as proposed by Aoun.
"I have taken Leb to a place of safety and stability," claimed Aoun, after saying that "sectarianism and corruption have destroyed the country."
Aoun pointed to corruption across all the political parties as causing the crisis.
"Politicians must return embezzled funds. The corruption has no religion or sect ... Let’s expose the corrupt and leave the matter in hands of judiciary," says Lebanese President Michel Aoun, addressing Leb after a week of anti-government protests.
"All political parties are responsible for protecting public funds from being stolen," he added.
Aoun pointed to the reforms proposed by the government under Prime Minister Saad Hariri as the solution to the crisis.
"The reforms that have been passed are the first step to saving Leb," he said, listing a number of reforms including a bill which would remove political immunity from parliamentarians and government officials.
Aoun linked the reforms’ success to the Lebanese people, saying "freedom of expression is a right respected and cherished by all people," and calling on citizens to monitor the reforms to ensure their success.
The Lebanese president ended his speech by refusing to step down and instead calling for dialogue as the solution. "Let’s initiate a constructive dialogue where practical measures are taken to reach the best results. Dialogue is the best way to solution," he stated.
"I am ready to meet your representatives ... to hear your demands."
Crowds gathered in Jal El Deeb Square to watch the speech on a giant screen, reported Leb's National News Agency (NNA).